Napoléon I

CountryFrance

Town:Cherbourg Octeville

Year of creation:1858

Rider(s):Napoléon I

I (1769-1821), Emperor of the French, was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution. As Napoleon I, he was emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. His legal reform, the Napoleonic Code, has been a significant influence on many civil law jurisdictions worldwide, but one remembers him best for his role in the wars led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars. He established hegemony over most of continental Europe and sought to spread the ideals of the French Revolution while consolidating an imperial monarchy. Due to his success in these wars, often against numerically superior enemies, one generally regards him as one of the greatest military commanders of all time. The 1812 French invasion of Russia marked a turning point in Napoleon’s fortunes. His Grande Armée was badly damaged in the campaign and never fully recovered. In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon’s forces at Leipzig. In the following year, the Coalition invaded France, forced Napoleon to abdicate and exiled him to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he escaped Elba, returned to power, and was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.